Spelt Or Whole Wheat?

I have loved working with spelt recently because it yields light, fluffy, and moist baked goods. This recipe makes wonderful sandwich or free-form loaves… Once I get the recipe right, that is. 😉

Working with spelt is very different than working with wheat. You use less of it, for one thing. The dough seems wet — at least compared to wheat flour dough — but if you add more flour, the dough gets hard and the resulting loaf is usually dense and heavy. So, I've learned to resist the urge to add more flour!

Another difference? Spelt gluten is more fragile, so it requires less kneading. In the Bosch mixer, I knead for 6 minutes on speed 2 (newer models) OR 4 to 5 minutes on speed 3 (newer models). For older Bosch models, that corresponds to kneading on speed 2 for 4 to 5 minutes.

For whole hard red wheat, kneading time in the Bosch mixer is 8 to 10 minutes.

About The Sourdough Starter

I keep my starter at a thin, pourable consistency. Because every person's starter is going to be slightly different, be ready to adapt by adjusting flour or water amounts to suit the consistency of your starter. You want smooth, elastic, not sticky, but not dry dough.

Remove starter from fridge. Feed it equal parts spelt flour and pure water, so that you can take out 3 cups and still leave starter behind, preferably as much as you took out. Let it come to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Combine starter, water and salt in Bosch mixing bowl. Mix on speed 1. Add 4 cups spelt flour. Mix, still on speed 1. Add 1/4 cup more flour at a time, until the dough is springy and pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. You are looking for the dough to be a bit gloppy and sticky, but still be warm and smooth. Sometimes when you test the dough it really wants to stick to your finger — make sure it's only mildly sticky. It needs to stick to itself more than you.

If using mixer, increase mixer speed to dough setting (Speed 2 on newer Bosch Universal) and knead for 6 minutes. If using an older Bosch, the speed 2 is like the newer speed 3 — so knead for 4 to 5 minutes and then check dough for good elasticity. Otherwise, knead by hand for 8 to 12 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer dough to a well-oiled large bowl. Rotate dough around so it gets coated on all sides, top and bottom, with the oil in the bowl. Cover bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 12 hours or overnight, until doubled in size. Or place in a warm location in your home (no more than 80 degrees) for 5 to 6 hours, until doubled in size.

Separate dough into 2 portions. Shape loaves and place in oiled loaf pans, or arrange free form on an oiled baking sheet.

For loaf pans: cut into top of each loaf 3 times diagonally with a sharp knife. For free-form loaves: cut an X into the top of each loaf with a sharp knife.

Put pans in a warm place draft-free place to rise, such as near (but not on) the burner that vents the oven’s heat. The rising time here is up to you. I let my loaves double in size and it takes about an hour or two, depending on room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the pans to the preheated oven. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the tops are nicely browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Turn loaves out onto cooling racks. Brush with oil or butter, or cover with a towel to keep crust soft.

Check out our Sourdough eCourse for more information and a video demonstration of this recipe!

Do you prefer whole wheat or spelt flour? Will you try this sourdough bread?

Hi, Megan – sourdough bread lasts longer than quick yeasted bread. Still, store in bread bags or freeze if not using right away. I have a loaf out right now that is still good and on the 3rd day. The other loaves from the batch I put in the freezer. Hope this helps.

Hi, Wardee: The recipe doesn’t say it, but are you sprouting the spelt you use for this recipe? Also, I don’t have a Bosch. Instead, I use a Kitchen Aid Artisan mixer with 10 speeds. It seems like I should maybe aim for a speed somewhere on the lower end of the middle area for 4 to 5 minutes? Guess I’ll have to play with it a bit to see. Now I need to get a starter from Cultures For Health! Thanks for sharing this!
Love,
Sonya
.-= Sonya Hemmings´s last blog post… Bag Lady With Bling =-.

Sonya – This is NOT sprouted spelt. I would check your manual for what speed to use for mixing, and then kneading. I don’t recommend that you double the recipe if using a KA. I used to have a KA and stripped the gears kneading bigger batches of whole grain dough. Have fun!

Wardee—I meant to also tell you that I love your video welcome! It’s so neat to see your facial expressions and hear how your voice sounds after only knowing you from your still photos and written text. Nice touch!
Love,
Sonya
.-= Sonya Hemmings´s last blog post… Bag Lady With Bling =-.

I am going to try this. I don’t have a Bosch, any idea how long I would knead it by hand? I don’t do much bread baking, yet, so I don’t have a use for one until I do.

Also, I have a starter in the fridge that I have neglected for a month or two. It has a lot of liquid (hooch?!?) on the top. Have I ruined it, or can I just pour off most of the liquid and call it good?

Kelli – I’d say about 10-12 minutes kneading by hand. But starting checking for it to be good and elastic at about 8 minutes.

The starter… I don’t know. Though the liquid separation is normal. Mix it all up, feed it, and smell it. Leave it out awhile and smell it. If it is bubbly and smells good, like sourdough starter (but not rotten), give it a go.

Thanks, Wardee. Does using the sourdough starter eliminate the need for sprouting the spelt? How are your gluten-sensitive family members tolerating it?
—Sonya
.-= Sonya Hemmings´s last blog post… Bag Lady With Bling =-.

Sonya – the yeast in the starter does a great deal to prepare the grains for digestion – pre-digesting the gluten, neutralizing phytic acid, and making nutrients more available during digestion. However, sprouting, IMO, does even more work than souring, because the grain is transformed into a vegetable plant. In any case, everyone who is gluten sensitive is doing fine with sourdough bread – no symptoms whatsoever. What I haven’t tried yet is using sprouted spelt in this recipe – want to try it? 🙂 If that worked, it would be the best of both worlds!

Yes! I really do want to try it! It might take me awhile to get it all together (sprouted spelt flour, sourdough culture and time and practice to experiment with it), but I’m determined to do it one of these days. 🙂 I have never done the sourdough starter thing, and I’m a little nervous about it, but with your help and that of your readers/contributors, I’m also excited to dive into it. I’ll keep you posted!
Love,
Sonya
.-= Sonya Hemmings´s last blog post… Bag Lady With Bling =-.

Great post! I love spelt too and have been using it recently too. 🙂 Your pictures look great. Thanks for being part of the carnival again. You are such a gem.
.-= Kimi @ The Nourishing Gourmet´s last blog post… Summer (Ending) Recipes =-.

Wardee, I love your video! It’s so cool! I would love to try this spelt bread. Could you send me a piece? lol Anyway, I’ve never eaten spelt before. Nobody in our family is gluten-intolerant, but I would like to bake with this grain because I think it’s wise to eat from a variety of the grains, don’t you? Thanks for your recipe.
.-= MarLou´s last blog post… Recipe 100% Whole Wheat Bread =-.

You guys are light-years ahead of me on this whole sourdough thing. I seriously need to get off my behind once and for all & learn how to do this.
.-= Ren´s last blog post… The Thing About Brussels Sprouts =-.

Wardee, I appreciate reading your recipe and your method for making this bread. The responses are helpful too so thanks to everyone.
P.S. I love your welcome video too! I went on dh’s laptop because I just HAD to see you. 😀 It’s a very nice personal touch.
.-= Marg´s last blog post… Bread baking battle =-.

Christie – The sourdough method is an alternative to sprouting. They both help with nutrient assimilation and pre-digestion of gluten. However, sprouting does a little more than souring, because the grain is transformed from a dry grain to a young plant. There are some additional benefits from that – increased vitamin and enzyme content, among other things. If someone were sensitive to gluten, I’d suggest they start with sprouting, then try souring, then try soaking. The most likely success will be with sprouting.

Thanks for this wonderful recipe, Wardee. You’ve inspired me to start baking bread again, which I formerly abandoned b/c I felt that it was just too time consuming and unnecessary since we have some wonderful bakeries in the area. Unfortunately, I don’t see much sourdough in this area . . . .

Two questions:

Do you have a starter recipe and recommendation?

I noticed you provided tips for buying spelt. Any recommendations for how to buy bulk, low price grains in general? My local health food store stocks there, but they are expensive!

Vanessa – I did not make my own sourdough starter – I purchased a starter. (See Resources for sources.) You could read through the suggestions in the first sourdough post I made – several readers shared favorite links and/or their own techniques:

Regarding grains, I purchase in bulk from a natural food warehouse. I’m not sure which you would have in your area, but I think you probably have United Natural Foods. You could search for others at this database: http://www.coopdirectory.org/

Other options would be asking your health food store for co-op pricing if you purchased in bulk. Or see if there are farmer/producers in your area who sell directly to the public. There are more and more of those these days, small organic farms who like to deal with the public. Hope you find something and enjoy the sourdough bread baking!

Hi, villarosa – Sure! I have the New England sourdough starter. (See Resources for sources.) I wonder now if my starter hasn’t taken on an Oregon-flavor? It sure is lovely. I love to smell and taste the starter. 😉 Enjoy!

Thank you so much for answering my question… In doing reading on your website, am I understanding that you have not used the sprouted spelt flour to make sourdough bread? I normally sprout, dehydrate, and then grind my flour, so am wondering if anyone has done that and then used that flour for making the starter.
I used to make sourdough bread years ago, but lost my ‘starter’ after a long vacation and have not taken the time to try to restart again. I’m grateful for all you have shared here…..
One more question…. just curious why you became vegan and then went back to eating differently? Just curious… Thank you again!

villarosa – You are correct. I have not yet used sprouted flour for sourdough bread.

We went vegan because we thought our son was allergic to animal protein. It turned out that he was only allergic to eggs. Even so, during the time that we were vegan, two members of my family got very weak muscularly. We also suspected a vitamin B12 deficiency. So we introduced naturally-raised animal foods into our diet and we felt much better.

Wardee, How did you manage cooking and baking when your children were younger? I have a 5 year old and a 22 month old and haven’t been able to cook or bake much since my baby was born. He wants to be in my arms or on a chair putting his hands in whatever I’m making or battling to stand on a chair in front of the hot range. It’s been so hard because we are not eating well – lots of pb&j, quesadillas, and take out and not a lot of fresh veggies. As someone who loves to cook and bake, this has been very hard on me and I really miss the process.

Jen – I’m sorry this has been so hard on you. I’m thinking back to when I really started cooking and baking, and my youngest was 2-1/2. The oldest was about 5. That’s when I started baking bread, anyway. I didn’t do as much then as I do now, but I do remember it being challenging. No matter how you discipline, it sounds like your son must learn that he cannot be in front of the stove and he cannot put his hands in what you’re doing. 😉 You could make it fun – perhaps set aside special toys with which he can only play while you’re cooking. He can still be nearby, perhaps even at the counter. I would think he would adjust quickly to the new routine. For your part, you should decide what the consequences will be for him not obeying and follow through with it. Also, try to cook and bake in regular intervals, so he gets plenty of your attention other times and the cooking isn’t drawn out all day (which soooo happens with me these days!). Also, don’t try to do everything all at once -change over time. The good thing about sourdough bread is that it is easy – mix, knead, let sit. You’ve got hours where it is working and you aren’t. Actually, I’ve found that alot with traditional foods/cultured foods. The setup is easier than any other cooking – and they “cook” or “ferment” themselves. Think of today’s canning – hours slaving over a hot stove, with hot water, etc. Making lacto-fermented vegetables is simple as shredding or chopping, mixing and putting in a jar with brine. The bacteria does all the work. You might find that it all is easier than you think. Please keep in touch- and I’ll be praying for you to figure out a way to fit healthy food prep into your life again.

I started cooking/baking when my little guy was a toddler and he loved to be in the middle of it too. Here’s what worked for me… I let him stand on a chair and play in the sink full of bubbles and he loved it, I also let him “help” by adding ingredients or stirring, I would also set out a cookie-sheet full of flour and let him play in it and most would stay in the tray.. this is still a great “toy” and he’s 5 now. His friends always ask for a tray full of flour when they come over… I buy the cheap stuff for this type of play ;o) Best of luck and I hope this helps ~

I see you said you have the New England sourdough starter from CFH. Is that the one that only gets fed spelt flour? I am looking into getting my first sourdough starter but don’t want to have one that only can get fed spelt. Can you use that same starter for whole wheat breads too? I plan to use lots of hard white whole wheat flour. I’m rather confused about which starter would be best… a basic “white” starter… a whole wheat starter… a spelt starter… It’s a little overwhelming! 🙂 Thanks for your help! I love your site and share in your beliefs as a Christian trying to bring glory to God in all we do, including how and what we eat! 🙂 Your ministry on this blog is such a blessing!!

Sorry, forgot another question… what do you recommend for bread pans? I just got some norpo tin-ware pans from urbanhomemaker.com and hope they’d work for these too. Sorry if you’ve addressed this somewhere else already. It’s hard to weed through all the info on all the different blogs I read sometimes! Thanks!

Carrie – The NE starter is NOT the one for spelt. I find it so versatile and wonderful and I feed it whatever I’m using that day – spelt, sprouted spelt, red whole wheat, white whole wheat, rye, whole wheat pastry… It all works! Basically, the wild yeasts need starch to consume and any flour will provide that. Some say that rye is the best, and perhaps that is true, but I haven’t found that my other flours don’t work, and well.

I don’t have a recommendation for bread pans, as I have no experience with them. I have an old set of commercial stainless steel pans from when my parents owned a bakery. Norpro is good for other things, so I’d think their bread pans would be good too. However, I have a set of Norpro baking sheets that are horrible and flimsy. The other Norpro things I have are wonderful, so that might be a fluke. On the bread pans, if Urban Homemaker recommends them, I think they’d be good. The owner is trustworthy and wouldn’t sell something she doesn’t believe is good.

On bread pans, I would recommend Pampered Chef stoneware. Once or twice a year they go on sale, 20% off for guests, and 60% off for hosts. I took that opportunity this year to host a big party, and get lots of free product and great discounts. I have tried other stoneware and they don’t work as well for me, but there might be another good brand, I’m just not aware of it.

LaNae – I have had it for a year. I use it at least once per week, and store it (fed) in the refrigerator the rest of the time. I have noticed no ill effects from rotating flours. In fact, it keeps getting better!

Does the three cups of sourdough starter mean a starter that you just fed, or are you using three cups of starter that has already been fed and refrigerated. In other words does it basically use1 1/2 cups of starter or so and the 1/2 c of water and 1 c of flour needed to feed it, wait an hour for it to come to room temperature and then add the rest of the bread dough ingredients?

Hi Wardah~
I have tried for several years to achieve the beautiful whole grain sd bread you make here, with no success! I always end up with bricks. What I think the problem is is my starter. Do you have a spelt starter recipe? My husband doubts that I can get soft, chewy sourdough using whole grains! Poor guy! Please help me prove him wrong. I want to dedicate my summer to getting it right. Also, I live at sea level, could that have something to do with it? Oh yeah, we can make perfect white flour sd, but who wants that? I know too much now!
Help! Thank you!
Nichole

Hi, Wardee! Thanks for answering my question on your FB page about sourdough rolls. I love working with spelt flour, so I plan to try this recipe and make rolls out of it instead of bread. Have you made rolls with this recipe? If so, any pointers. I am a sourdough novice. Thanks so much! Blessings, Kelly

Kelly – Yes, this is the recipe I use to make my rolls. Basically, instead of shaping loaves, I pull of chunks (1 to 2 inch balls) and place them in a greased baking pan, pretty close together (this way they go up, not out). Bake for about 20 minutes or so, give or take. The upcoming Sourdough eBook contains this recipe (updated) along with instructions for dinner rolls. Also, there’s a video demonstration of this in the Sourdough eCourse (http://traditionalcookingschool.com/sourdoughecourse).

One major change I’ve made to this recipe is that I work in the flour, let the dough rest for 15 minutes to absorb excess liquid, knead for 4 to 5 minutes, let rest for 5 minutes, knead again for 4 to 5 minutes.

Thank you for this wonderful recipe and tips. I have made countless loaves of this basic bread with several different flours and they all come out great. My husband even bought me a professional mixer after he saw me dealing with the VERY stick dough. Now it’s so easy to have great sourdough bread all the time. One mistake I did make was to add olive oil to this while I was hand kneading thinking it would make it easier…oh boy that was an easy way to destroy this great bread, it made for a really thick crust that was impossible to cut and the inside didn’t bake well. Anyway lesson learned! I’ll never leave this recipe because it is just that great.
Thanks again

Hi Wardee, we’ve just finished listening to your webinar & you’ve definitly convinced us to try some new things! On to an older thing though, I’ve been making our (sourdough) bread for about 5 years now using the same starter. It was a pure flour/water starter back in Va. but since we’ve moved to the Carolina’s I’ve been “waking it up” w/ a sugar/potato flake water mixture to bake w/ & then putting it back to sleep in the fridge w/ whole wheat & water. It makes for a sweet SD & the starter looks like a rootbeer 6 or 7 hours after feeding it & smells great.
The bread bakes up wonderfully too, 1/2 whole wheat flour & 1/2 white. It tastes SO GOOD fresh from the oven. It tastes very nice the next day. It’s fairly bland & slightly off the 3rd day. The 4th day when you open the bag (a ziplock freezer bag) an overwhelming smell of acetone comes out & fills the kitchen. It’s edible & still has a good texture but like eating a beer.
This never happened in Va. & I was wondering if our not using the AC was contributing? We’ve been grinding our own wheat for the whole wheat half, & we’re still using the same buckets of wheat from 3 years ago. There are no bugs in the buckets & no mold I can smell but is age a factor? Please help if you can, I’m afraid the PB & J’s will set the children drunk!

Thank you for this lovely recipe. I purchased a starter for Spelt Sourdough from Cultures for Health and now I think I’m finally brave enough to try it now that I found this recipe. I ordered 20lbs of groud spelt from Azure Standard last month. Any suggestions on how it should be stored? I’ll link back when I try your recipe 🙂

I buy my spelt berries from http://www.somethingbetternaturalfoods.com/ 25 lbs of organic spelt was $27.50. They do have a $450 order minimum, but will put you in contact with a co-op in your area if there is one. They deliver to Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky ,Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, N Carolina, and they ship via UPS (no order minimum).

Lanae — not necessarily a new starter, but perhaps that the room temp is too cold, or that the starter needs to be babied a bit to get a higher concentration of organisms. Is it pretty active with lots of bubbles and lift when you’re feeding it? If not, keep up with regular feedings to get it good and active before trying to bake bread.

Would you have any idea of where I could find sourdough bread recipes for the breads they ate in the first century when Jesus was on the earth and/or before or after, or even at the time of the Canaanites? It would be fantastic to be able to make these breads, as I’m sure they would indeed be very healthy!

Hi, I am right in the middle of this as I write… I let my first rise go in a warm spot for six hours, it was a little more than double (two kids and I lost track of it), but now on my second rise in the pan it’s already at two hours and only 1.5 the size. Did I over-proof it and use up all it’s energy??

Making this today! Thanks for the nice instructions 🙂 …I haven’t had much luck with my spelt sourdough bread rising well yet, so hopefully this time will be the charm. (usually the loaves end up being about 1.5″ tall in the bread pan).

I have been using this method for my sourdough spelt for a few months with much success…nicely risen, not overly dense loaves. The past several weeks, it just hasn’t been rising for the second rise. It doubles nicely in the bowl, but once I move it to the loaf pan, it just stops. I thought maybe it needed extra time so I left it overnight (an extra 10 hours of rising) and it didn’t rise any more at all.

Any advice? Would it work to put it directly into the loaf pan for the first rising? I’m really bummed…My husband used to love my bread and now he won’t eat it! :/

Love your recipes. Can we make sourdough bread with sprouted spelt flour?
I hope to be able to eat sourdough spelt bread again after being gluten free for a few years. (by the way by being gluten and dairy fee my arthritis went away and when I try to reintroduce it, it comes back). Did you ever try it with sprouted flour?
thanks
Michelle

Hi there Wardee ! I am interested in joining your sourdough class.
I have baked a lot of bread in my life.
Tell me ? I always measure flour by grams and not cups. Does your course list the grams to do this recipe ?

I used these instructions to make sourdough bread with spelt flour. The bread is delicious but it took days to rise. The starter was quite bubbly so I think it was active enough and the house was about 24 celcius. Is there something I am missing?
Also, I am interested in buying your sourdough book but I would prefer a hard copy. Is there one available?

Hi! Thanks for the great recipe. I’ll have to report back since I’m trying this with my “THM” all rye starter and einkorn. You mentioned about the spelt glutens being fragile…I’ve found that einkorn is basically a no kneed flour. It’s chilling out on my back porch for tonight, and I’ll see how it goes tomorrow. If you can accept pictures, I’ll take some so you can see the difference. I’m really loving the whole einkorn flour. I had a scant two cups of the all purpose einkorn to use up with this, but it will be mostly whole grain rye and einkorn. When I use these two flours in the Artisan Sourdough from Trim Healthy Mama, it does great, so I’m hoping for the same here with a different kind of loaf texture at the end. :))

Can this recipe be cut in half to prepare in a bread machine with whole wheat flour? I have an old Zojirushi bread machine but only use the “dough” cycle. I take the dough out for the overnight rising, then would like to use my small 9″ x 4″ Pullman pan to bake it. The recipes I’ve used in the past rise too high to put the lid on the Pullman but still make a great loaf of bread. If I bake in the Zojirushi bread machine’s pan in the oven, it works better.
I made a bread loaf with Einkorn flour and the NW starter without conversion following your no knead recipe, left out the baking soda and baked it in a glass pan. It made a nice looking loaf of bread but I didn’t think it tasted as good as the whole wheat bread I’m used to. The active starter raised the dough well and I didn’t want to lose the bubbly lift by mixing in the soda. Should I have added the baking soda for taste?

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